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Hanover holds off Littlestown in South Penn regular-season finale

Hanover grabs third seed in playoffs with a 3-2 win vs. Littlestown in the final regular-season game

By Tom Sixeas

For The Evening Sun

Posted:
07/21/2014 10:06:41 PM EDT

One team had a lot to play for, while the other couldn't improve its place in the standings regardless of winning or losing.

It didn't show though as both Hanover and Littlestown laid it on the line with the Raiders coming away with a 3-2 victory in the final South Penn Baseball League regular-season game of the year on Monday evening at Memorial Field in Littlestown.

Hanover (18-12) grabbed the third seed in the upcoming playoffs that start Thursday, and the Raiders' victory means New Oxford will be fourth. Littlestown finished in seventh place.

The game also completed a run of six games in five days for the Raiders, of which they won four and lost two, and finished the season by winning nine of their final 11 games.

"Our bats started coming around the last couple weeks, and that's been the biggest key to our strong finish," Hanover manager Steve Weaver said. "I can't commend these guys enough. They're tired from all of these games recently, but they're giving everything they have every game."

Having exhausted his usual starting pitching options the previous four days, Weaver turned to 2014 South Western High grad Reed McMaster, and the young right-hander gave his skipper an excellent effort.

After running into trouble in the bottom of the first that saw the Dodgers plate an unearned run, McMaster worked five more innings and hung zeroes in each frame. The biggest jam he worked out of was in the sixth when the Raiders led, 2-1.

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With one out, Matt Hutchison and Sam Wertz singled before Jacob Crawmer reached on an error to load the bases. But McMaster induced a double play ball from Bubba Ripple to end the inning.

That completed the night on the hill for McMaster as he worked six innings and didn't allow an unearned run. Littlestown managed to get five hits off of McMaster, and he had two strikeouts and one walk in throwing 51 of his 80 pitches for strikes.

"Can't say enough good things about the job that Reed did tonight," Weaver said. "We used all of our starters, and he came in and gave us a great effort tonight."

Hanover was able to add a run in the top of the seventh when Jordan Witmer clobbered a double off the centerfield fence that plated Rick Estes to up the lead to 3-1. A walk by Mark Phillips loaded the bases, but Dodger southpaw Brett Lookingbill retired Pat Brady on a flyout.

Lookingbill went the distance on 139 pitches, 77 strikes. He allowed three runs and eight hits with five strikeouts and six walks.

"Brett is our workhorse and our ace," Littlestown manager Tory Weikert said. "He gave us a great effort tonight and gave us a chance to win the game."

That chance to win the game for Littlestown came in the seventh against Hanover reliever Brian Bossom. Travis Crouse started the inning with a double before Bossom struck out the next two hitters, but Ryan Kehr kept the hosts alive with a double to score Crouse before Andy Bucher grounded out to end it.

Littlestown (7-23) scored the first run of the game on Wertz's double that scored Bucher, and the Raiders answered back in the top of the second when Witmer came home on an error and Adam Smith singled home Brady to put Hanover ahead.

Both teams begin postseason play on Thursday. Hanover hosts Brushtown and Littlestown plays at North Carroll with both contests slated for 6 p.m. starts.